CMHC PULSE

The SPRINT trial created both excitement and controversy in the medical community when it was realized aggressive blood pressure lowering to a target of 120 mmHg resulted in significant reductions in cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality. These reductions were seen in all of SPRINT’s subgroups including those older than age 75, persons with previous CAD, and those with chronic kidney disease. In her Keynote presentation, “Update and Clinical Implications of the SPRINT Trial,” Suzanne Oparil, MD, one of the principal investigators of the trial, will discuss the benefits seen in SPRINT as well as its caveats while touching on some of the ongoing substudies, including a cost-effectiveness analysis and a mind outcomes study examining the question of whether aggressive blood pressure lowering preserves cognitive function and brain structure.

Although we may be entering an era of waning cardiovascular risk attributable to LDL cholesterol, the recurrent event rate even with the best of current therapies remains unacceptably high. In his Keynote presentation, “Triglycerides on the Rise: Should We Swap Seats on the Seesaw?” Dr. Peter Libby will discuss the increasing prevalence of other cardiovascular risk factors, including triglycerides and specifically, the apolipoprotein constituent of many triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, apoC3. According to Dr. Libby, “We have a growing need for novel therapies that address the global shift in the risk factor profile we currently confront. Treatments that target triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, inflammation, diabetes, obesity, and other contributors to residual risk in the statin era now urgently require rigorous assessment in clinical trials.”